A Date to Remember
by Owennumber1fan
Summary: Arthur & Sue Ellen decide to have thier first date, but find it harder than they thought
1. Let's Have a Date

"I had always resisted the idea of having a girlfriend" Arthur said, "I thought girls were gross, and the thought of kissing one made me want to throw up. But that all changed a few weeks ago, after Sue Ellen told me she had a crush on me.

We've hung out a few times since then, but we never did anything serious. But that all changed about a week ago…"

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A Date to Remember

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A week earlier, Arthur & Sue Ellen sat together on the couch in the Read living room. It had been almost two weeks since the Simpsons had left and Sue Ellen had confessed her secret feelings to Arthur. The two had told their parents, but decided not to inform their classmates just yet.

"Your evil alliance has been foiled" Bionic Bunny called out from the TV screen.

"Curse you Bionic Bunny!" Dr. Fowl said, as he and Dr. Warthog were led into the paddy wagon "you haven't seen the last of Bacon & Eggs, you long-eared do-gooder!"

"How come Bionic Bunny doesn't have a girlfriend?" Sue Ellen blurted out.

"Huh?"

"A girlfriend. Come to think of it, there aren't very many girls on this show to begin with."

"He used to have a girlfriend, Lois Lamb, but I don't know what happened to her" Arthur explained "besides, if he had a girlfriend, he'd be going on dates or taking her shopping instead of stopping crime.

"And what's wrong with that?" Sue Ellen asked, a hint of anger in her tone.

"I didn't mean I wouldn't enjoy doing that with you" Arthur replied nervously "but Bionic Bunny's a superhero, and he needs to concentrate on saving the world and stuff."

"You know, we haven't had a date since we decided to be a couple" Sue Ellen said, "we should have our first date sometime this week."

"Sounds great" Arthur replied "what do you want to do?"

"I was thinking a little dinner, followed by a movie."

"Okay."

"And the movie can't have the words 'bionic' or 'bunny' in the title."

"Oh, but that limits my choices!" Arthur whined.

"I want to see a romantic movie, where two people overcome hardships and fall in love. Kind of like us."

"What hardships did we overcome?"

"I overcame my nervousness, not to mention being left to die in the power plant. Oh, and you overcame your fear of girls" Sue Ellen replied.

"Those don't seem like real big hardships" Arthur countered.

"They are to kids like us" Sue Ellen said, "oh this is going to be so great! Our first date. I can already imagine just how it will be."

She imagined herself in an old style club, which was all in black and white. Arthur, dressed in a trenchcoat and fedora, entered the room.

"You're looking lovely my dear" he said, in a Bogart-type voice.

"Thank you" Sue Ellen replied "I'm so glad to be here in Casablanca, one of the most romantic spots on Earth. Next to Paris, but I've already been there."

"How about a drink sweetheart?" Arthur asked.

"Okay, but remember, I'm only eight" Sue Ellen replied.

Arthur poured her a glass of milk then poured one for himself. Then he raised his glass, with Sue Ellen doing the same.

"To us" he said, "and to our eternal love."

After both kids sipped their milk, music began to play.

"How about a dance?" Arthur asked, extending his hand for her.

"Of course" Sue Ellen replied and took his outstretched hand. The two walked over to another part of the club, where Arthur glanced at the piano player.

"Play it Sam" he said.

"I'd like to point out the inaccuracy of this situation, as I have no ability to play the piano whatsoever" said Brain, who was sitting behind said piano "furthermore, this role contains some severe racial undertones I feel must be expressed."

"Knock it off and play" Sue Ellen replied, then slowly began to dance with Arthur. As they danced, she let her head rest on his chest and sighed happily.

"I can't wait" Sue Ellen said, after coming back to reality "I'm sure this date will be an important milestone for our relationship."

"Yeah, sounds great" Arthur replied uneasily.

-----

Later, after Sue Ellen went home, Arthur checked his savings.

"Let's see, five dollars and ten cents" he said, "I can't afford a great date with this. But maybe Sue Ellen won't mind."

He imagined himself and Sue Ellen sitting in the Sugar Bowl. The girl had a sour expression on her face.

"Dinner at the Sugar Bowl? What kind of date is this?!" she asked angrily.

"I-I'm sorry it's not what you expected Sue Ellen, b-b-but it's all I could afford" Arthur replied nervously.

"Well maybe I need a boyfriend who can afford to take me to nice places" Sue Ellen said, "like Binky. He may be stupid, but I bet he knows how to show a girl a good time!"

"No he doesn't."

"Well he has to be better than this" Sue Ellen replied, getting up from her seat "so long Arthur, and thanks for nothing!" she added, as she stormed out the door.

"Maybe I'm worried about nothing Pal" Arthur said after he returned to reality "I mean, Sue Ellen's not expecting a really fancy date, is she?"

Pal simply whimpered in reply.

-----

"Dad, Sue Ellen and I have decided to go on our first date" Arthur said.

"That's nice, good for you" Mr. Read replied, as he worked on frosting cakes.

"And I was wondering if you could, maybe give me some tips on how to make it really special."

"Well, when your mother and I went out for our first date, I took her dancing at this little club downtown" Mr. Read said "then we ate dinner at Chez Robert's, and then we went to the drive-in. I think we saw, 'Invasion of the Neptune Men' or something."

"Okay, but I don't have a car, or a lot of money" Arthur explained.

"Well you don't have to do exactly what I did" Mr. Read replied "and I'm sure Sue Ellen will like whatever you decide. If you want, you could have dinner here, and I'll cook it for you."

"Thanks dad" Arthur said, "I'll talk it over with Sue Ellen and we'll set a date. I guess I was just blowing this thing way out of proportion."

"Well that can happen on first dates" Mr. Read replied "just relax and don't worry."

--------------------------------

Little does Arthur know the trouble there is to come. In the next chapter, he decides to give Sue Ellen the perfect date, but finds it more difficult than he expected.


	2. Problem after Problem

The next day at school, Arthur & Sue Ellen met behind the school to discuss their date.

"I was hoping we could do it on Friday" Sue Ellen said "then we have the weekend to do our homework."

"Okay" Arthur replied, "look, my dad said he'd cook us dinner, if that's okay."

"No problem" Sue Ellen said, "your dad's cooking is great. Besides, we're too young to go to a restaurant by ourselves."

"Then I just have to pick a movie and we're all set to go" Arthur added.

"This is going to be so great" Sue Ellen added "the romantic dinner, the flowers, maybe a little dancing…"

"Flowers? I don't remember you mentioning anything about flowers."

"Well it wouldn't be a date if you didn't bring me some kind of gift" Sue Ellen said "that's what the guys on TV always do, anyway."

"Well, nothing's too good for you" Arthur replied "if you want flowers, you'll get flowers."

"Thanks sweetie" Sue Ellen said, "so I'll meet you at your house at about 5:00 then."

Giving him a peck on the cheek, she headed off. Arthur meanwhile, slumped down on the grass.

_How the heck am I supposed to get Sue Ellen flowers? _He thought _with the money I have, I can barely afford the movie. And what if she wants something else, like candy, or jewelry? I never knew being in love was so hard! _

_But I really want this date to go well, and Sue Ellen is special enough that she deserves the very best. I'll find a way to get some extra money and give her a date she'll never forget! _

"Hey Arthur" Buster's voice interrupted the boy from his thoughts "oh there you are. What are you thinking about?"

"Our big history test" Arthur said quickly.

"Me too" Buster said, "I don't know why we need to learn history anyway, it already happened. Oh well, we'd better get inside."

-----

Arthur spent most of the day planning the specifics of the date. He decided to buy Sue Ellen candy **and** flowers, figuring it would score him some extra points. The only problem was the money, but he was sure he could ask his parents for a loan.

Class seemed to drone on, and when it finally did end, Arthur was eager to get home and begin setting up everything for tomorrow. He just hoped that his parents would lend him the money.

"Ordinarily, we would make you do chores to earn extra money" his mom explained "but since this is really important to you, we'll lend you the money. However, don't expect us to do it next time."

"Thanks mom" Arthur said, "I can't wait until Sue Ellen sees everything I've done for our date tomorrow."

After getting the money, he biked down the florists and bought a bouquet of flowers. Then he went to the Sugar Bowl and bought a heart-shaped box of candy.

After several minutes, he arrived back at home and placed both items on his bed.

"Sue Ellen is so going to love these" he said to himself, "I can't wait to see her face when I give them to her."

Then he took a quick glance at his watch "almost time for Bionic Bunny" he said, leaving his room and rushing downstairs.

As luck would have it, D.W. was leaving her room at the exact same time.

"Arthur, do you have any crayons?" she asked, as she approached his room "I think the Tibbles ate some of mine."

There was no response, so she entered the room and grabbed a box of crayons from Arthur's desk. As she was leaving, she spotted the flowers and candy on the bed.

_Oooh candy! _She thought _wait, why would Arthur buy candy in a heart shaped box? It's probably for Sue Ellen. Still, she's probably not going to eat all that candy. And mom does say Arthur and I are supposed to share things…_

Checking to make sure no one was around, she pried open the lid of the box, grabbed one of the chocolates, and plopped it in her mouth.

-----

When Arthur returned to his room during a commercial, he was greeted with a bizarre sight.

"AAAAH! D.W., what did you do?!" he asked.

D.W. was lying on the floor, her mouth surrounded by chocolate, and holding her stomach.

"Oh, I don't feel so good" she moaned "I shouldn't have eaten so much candy."

"I bought those for Sue Ellen!" Arthur yelled, "we're supposed to have our first date tomorrow!"

"I didn't eat all of them" D.W. explained "I figured you wouldn't miss one or two, but then when I ate one, I had to eat another, and then I couldn't stop. They're just so delicious."

Arthur ignored her and looked at the box. Only about half of the chocolates remained, and some had bites taken out of them.

"Great, I can't give Sue Ellen a half-eaten box of chocolates" Arthur said "she'll think I'm cheap. And it's too late to go to the Sugar Bowl and get another one."

"Maybe you could make some" D.W. suggested.

"That could work" Arthur replied "but I'm still telling mom what you did."

-----

Arthur explained what happened and his father agreed to help him make new chocolates after dinner. D.W. , meanwhile, was not punished, as Mrs. Read felt her stomachache was sufficient punishment enough.

Meanwhile, Arthur scanned the movie listings for a movie he could take Sue Ellen to.

"_Buttercups of Autumn,_ that sounds like a nice romantic film" he said "but it looks like the showtimes are after five. I'll have to move up dinner if I want to get there in time."

The phone ringing interrupted him. Mrs. Read received the call and told him it was Buster.

"Hi Buster."

"Guess what Arthur, _Slappy Blackhead's Narly Voyage _premieres tomorrow" Buster said "let's get together and see it."

"I can't" Arthur lied "I have, other plans."

"What kind of other plans?"

"Um…my Aunt Lucy is coming into town and I have to spend time with her" Arthur explained "you know, family is really important."

"Well, okay" Buster replied "I guess we can see the movie another time. Have a good time with your aunt."

"I will" Arthur said, as he hung up. _I really hated lying to Buster like that, but I couldn't tell him the real reason I couldn't go with him. Well, at least nothing else can go wrong. _

---------------------------------

Famous last words, as they always say. Next time, the date finally rolls around, but will it be as great as both kids hope?

Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how things can get worse for them, please feel free to contact me.


	3. The Date arrives

Friday rolled around and both Arthur & Sue Ellen were more anxious for school to let out than usual. After the bell rang, they headed behind the school to finalize things.

"So I'll come over at 4:30" Sue Ellen said "that should give us enough time to eat and go see the movie."

"All right, I'll be waiting" Arthur replied, before giving her a kiss and heading home.

Later, at the Armstrong residence, Sue Ellen selected her outfit, consisting of a red dress, a white shirt underneath, and her favorite pair of sandals.

"Perfect" she said, after looking in the mirror "since I don't have to be there for a few hours, I guess I could nod off for a bit."

So saying, she lay down on her pillow and drifted off to sleep.

-----

Over at the Read house, meanwhile, Arthur was watching his dad cook the special dinner for the night.

"You used all the right ingredients, didn't you?" he asked "no substitutions?"

"Arthur, cooking is my job, I think I know how to make lamb kabobs" Mr. Read replied.

"I'm sorry, it's just that, I want everything to go right today" Arthur said "Sue Ellen has been looking forward to this and I want it to live up to her expectations."

"I know you want to make things perfect for Sue Ellen, but you don't need to worry" Mr. Read explained "she likes you for who you are, not for what you can do for her."

"But is it wrong to want to give her the perfect date?" Arthur asked.

"No, I guess not."

"Good" Arthur replied "I just hope nothing else goes wrong."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Arthur went to check on it and discovered Buster waiting on the front steps.

"Hi buddy" Buster said, "I figured that since we couldn't see the movie that maybe I could do something over here."

"Now's not a really great time" Arthur explained.

"Is your aunt here already?"

"No, but…"

"Hey, is that lamb I smell?" Buster asked, entering the house.

"Okay, this isn't a problem" Arthur said to himself, as Buster was in the kitchen "he's not going to be here the whole day. Things will still be fine."

----

Sue Ellen was eventually roused from her nap by her mother.

"Wake up dear" Mrs. Armstrong said, shaking her daughter gently.

"Huh? What?" a groggy Sue Ellen asked.

"It's time for you to wake up" Mrs. Armstrong explained "it's almost time for your date."

"That can't be right, I only slept for a few minutes…" Sue Ellen said, before looking at her clock "oh no! I'm supposed to be at Arthur's house in 10 minutes!"

Scrambling off her bed, the girl quickly adjusted her hair and checked her dress for wrinkles.

"There's no need to move so fast" Mrs. Armstrong said "you might be a little late, but…"

"I can't afford to be late!" Sue Ellen replied "I wanted this date to go well and it's already off to a bad start."

Confident that she looked okay, she rushed up to her room, grabbed something from her nightstand and put it her pocket. Then she ran out the door and down the street, as fast as her legs would carry her.

_Okay, Arthur's house is only two blocks away _she thought _I'm going to make it! Nothing can go wrong now! _

Unfortunately, she didn't watch where she was going and tripped on a stone. She landed headfirst in a nearby mud puddle.

"No no no, not today!" she exclaimed "why did this have to happen today?"

Realizing she had no time to do anything about it, she ran off towards Arthur's house, scraping some low-lying tree branches as she did so. When she finally arrived, her dress still had some mud on it and there were leaves in her hair.

Plucking as many of the leaves as she could, she rung the doorbell, while straightening her dress.

"Hi Sue Ellen" Arthur said, "what happened to you?"

"A little incident with a mud puddle, but it's not important" she replied "the point is I'm here for our…" it was then she noticed he was wearing his normal clothes. "Hey, you're not dressed for our date."

"Yeah, about that" Arthur began "there's kind of a problem…"

Before he could elaborate, Buster came to the door.

"Hey Sue Ellen, did you come over for dinner too?" he asked "and why are your clothes all muddy?"

"I was playing football with Francine" Sue Ellen lied "and what are you doing here?"

"Well, I felt bad that Arthur and I couldn't go see _Slappy Blackhead's Narly Voyage_, cause his Aunt Lucy was coming over, so I thought I'd hang out with him until she did. Then I found out his dad was cooking dinner, so I thought I'd stay over and join him."

"Great" Sue Ellen said, trying to mask her disappointment "let me just change out of these muddy clothes and I'll join you."

-----

After going back to her house for her normal clothes, Sue Ellen joined Buster at the Read dinner table, as they enjoyed the baked lamb.

"Mmm, this is one of the best things I've ever tasted!" Buster said happily "do you think you could give my mom the recipe so she could make it?"

"I don't think that would be a problem" Mr. Read replied.

Meanwhile Arthur & Sue Ellen were thinking about their ruined date.

_Poor Sue Ellen _Arthur thought _she was expecting this really great evening and now it's ruined. But I couldn't turn Buster away, he's my best friend. I hope she understands. _

_Poor Arthur _Sue Ellen thought _he went through all this trouble for nothing. But Buster is his best friend, and I understand why he couldn't turn him away. Sigh, sometimes having a secret relationship is hard. _

After dinner, Buster fell asleep doing homework, so Arthur led Sue Ellen into his room.

"I'm sorry about what happened" he said "I had this whole night planned, but it all went wrong. I'll understand if you want to date Binky."

"Don't be silly" Sue Ellen said "I don't like Binky, I like you. Besides, you don't have to give me a fancy date."

"I don't?"

"No, the purpose of the date is for us to spend time together" she explained "I think we got all caught up in trying to make this first date special that we forgot that what we do on the date isn't important, as long as we do it together."

"Good point" Arthur said "even though the date was ruined, I still want you to have these" he added, handing her the bouquet of flowers.

"They're so pretty, thank you" Sue Ellen replied.

"They came with a box of chocolates, but D.W. ate most of them" Arthur explained "my dad tried to make another batch, but he was really busy."

"That's okay, I'll just eat the ones she didn't touch" Sue Ellen said "oh, I have something for you too." She reached into her dress and produced an origami heart "here, now you'll always have my heart with you, so to speak."

"That's really sweet, and a little cheesy" Arthur replied.

"I know."

Arthur set the heart down on his nightstand, then looked around to make sure no one was watching. When he was confident there was no one around, he turned to Sue Ellen.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked, holding out his arm.

"Of course" Sue Ellen replied, and embraced him. The two proceeded to dance slowly in his room.

They knew that although their first date wasn't quite what they had hoped, it was still pretty good anyway. And that it was something they wouldn't soon forget.

------------------------------

Coming up, it's the first ever fanfic about nothing as the cast of _Seinfeld _pay a visit to Elwood City. Stay tuned for all the chaos when Jerry and friends have their own interactions with the cast. Co-written with Movie-Brat.


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